Strong pre-release ticket sales for 'The Bravest'

With ticket revenue of nearly 80 million yuan ($11.6 million) as Thursday, the upcoming firefighting movie The Bravest is set to rival the box-office takings for Ne Zha, the current domestic topper.

Adapted from ethnic Mongolian writer Baoerji Yuanye non-fiction work Zuishen De Shui Shi Leishui (Tears Are the Deepest Water), the upcoming film depicts a group of heroic firefighters.

The original story of Bao’erji’s book is an anthology of interviews of firefighters who joined the battle to put out the fire caused by a pipeline explosion in Dalian, in Liaoning province, in July 2010.

Starring actors Huang Xiaoming, Du Jiang and actress Tan Zhuo, the 120-minute film is scheduled to hit domestic theaters on Aug 1.